These come from consumers who defaulted on an auto loan. The bank or credit union wants to recover the loan balance, so sales are frequent and priced to move. Some are public; many run through partnered auto auctions.
These include surplus fleet vehicles, law-enforcement seizures, and impound-lot vehicles. They're often open to the public and can include unusual inventory you won't see at a lender sale.
If you want selection and turnover, lender repos are the workhorse. If you want public access and the occasional oddball deal, government and impound auctions are worth watching. This directory tracks both in every state.
Credit union and bank repos often run through remarketing auctions that favor licensed dealers, though some lenders hold public sales or list repos on their own websites. Government surplus, police seizure and impound auctions are usually open to anyone who registers. Check the access rules on your state directory page before planning a trip to a lot.
A lender sale normally comes with the title or a lien release signed by the finance company. Government sales may issue the title directly, a certificate of sale, or a salvage document for seized vehicles. Impound sales follow state abandoned-vehicle law, so the paperwork and waiting periods differ. Ask exactly what document you will leave with.
Retired government fleet vehicles were usually maintained on a schedule and sold because they reached a mileage or age threshold, so wear is predictable. Loan-default repos vary widely: some are nearly new, others missed months of maintenance. Impound units can be the most uneven. Inspection habits from our buyer's guide apply to all three.
Lender repos move continuously through weekly lane sales and online platforms. Government surplus auctions run less often, sometimes monthly or quarterly, and are posted on agency or municipal websites. Impound auctions follow the holding periods set by local ordinance. Signing up for deal alerts is the easiest way to catch irregular sales near you.
Agency sales are where you find vehicles rarely offered elsewhere: retired police interceptors, utility trucks, school or transit vans, and seized vehicles of every kind. Former police cars often have heavy idle hours that the odometer does not reflect. Read the repo vehicle types page to see how each category is typically sold.
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